Feral Scream Ver 1
by Chimeraone
Summary: Beast Wars. What if the events of "Feral Scream" panned out a little different and a certain mech found himself unable to complete the alien transformation? Discontinued
1. Chapter 1: Back Home

**DISCLAIMER:** Beast Wars are the property of their respective owners.

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**TITLE: **Feral Scream**  
UNIVERSE: **Beast Wars**  
CHARACTER(S): **Cheetor, Optimus Primal and others**  
SUMMARY: ** What if the events of "Feral Scream" panned out a little different and a certain mech found himself unable to complete the alien transformation?**  
RATED: **T

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**A/N:** I had always asked myself a question what would happen if Dinobot II and Waspinator reached Cheetor first or if nobody ever learned about his little secret? That fic is exactly the result of that kind of musing.

To clarify the story a little... Optimus is in his first TM form, I don't like that whole 'Optimal Optimus' design, besides it always appeared to me kinda unfair to Megs and his merry band ;)

Enjoy the story.

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**CHAPTER 1:** Back Home

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Optimus parted the metal door and glanced inside a small quarters. His optics instantly fell onto a battered form of the youngest crew member lying prone on a small bunk in what looked like a deep recharge. If it weren't for his extensive damage proving different, none would be able to tell what drama had happened within the past few hours.

The Maximal commander allowed a ghost of a smile onto his lips at the sight of a peaceful scene in front of him. Seeing Cheetor alive and safe seemed so unreal right now and Optimus barely fought down the urge to walk in and touch the marine-colored body just to make sure his mind wasn't playing tricks on him and the youngster was indeed with them...

Giving Cheetor one last look he closed the door quietly and headed off toward the bridge.

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"Hey, Optimus," Rattrap greeted him once he got there, "how's our boy?"

"Finally asleep despite the damage," Optimus replied with a sad smile, but after a while he frowned slightly, "I don't understand why he won't use the CR-Chamber."

"Well, maybe he's tryin' to prove something?" the rat suggested.

Primal shook his head, "I think it goes deeper than that..."

_Few Earth hours earlier..._

"_I got through to the others," Rhinox announced, emerging from the base's gate. "They've been warned about the creature. Whatever it is."_

"_Or who...," the Maximal commander whispered and fixed his gaze on the distant mountain range, where some truly horror-like events had taken place lately._

"_What?" the scientist asked, surprised by his leader's sudden statement._

"_Nothing," Optimus quickly corrected himself then turned toward his subordinate, "Silverbolt and Blackarachnia are combing sector Tallories. You join Rattrap in--"_

_A sound of the deck siren rang out through the silence of the night, cutting off his last words. Two mechs quickly assumed battle stances, surveying the adjacent plain in search of any possible attack. It didn't come, yet the sight that met their optics made their mech fluid ran cold in dread... Right in front of them, half-dead and barely conscious, stood Cheetor. _

_The cat looked like he'd just gone to the Pit itself and back again. His optics blazed with a strange glow that teetered on the edge of insanity and, Primus knew, he would never forget this haunting look that screwed the youngling's features in that moment._

"_Cheetor?" Optimus croaked, his voice barely audible as if any louder note would scare the fleeting ghost away._

_They watched in shock as the cheetah, driven by an invisible force of sheer willpower, lifted his head and took a weak step forward... but all of sudden, his legs buckled under him and the Maximal collapsed to the ground, breaking the unspoken spell._

_Optimus was the first one to snap out of his daze. "Cheetor!" he screamed and rushed to the fallen soldier's side. He knelt down and reached with his hands to check on the youngster._

"_Don't," Rhinox stopped him before he had a chance to do so, however. Primal nodded in silent agreement and the scientist proceed to turn the youngster on his back carefully. _

_Optimus winced when the cat's head lolled lifelessly aside, but it was Rhinox's thoughtful humph that made him worry. _

"_What's wrong?" he asked._

"_Nothing's wrong. That's what," was the other mech's enigmatic reply. _

"_What do you mean by 'nothing's wrong'?" Optimus stammered out. "Just look at him," he motioned angrily toward the unmoving body, frustrated by the scientist's lack of concern. "Is that nothing?!"_

_His outburst ceased abruptly when he met Rhinox's serious look. "Sorry," he apologized hastily, embarrassed by his brash behavior._

_Rhinox let it pass and hurried to explain his point, "Despite all his visible damage his internals are intact. Optimus, he's just exhausted and manhandled, but apart of that he's absolutely fine."_

_Primal's optics widened in bewilderment, but before he could say anything a pained grunt sounded from the Cheetor's vocalizer and a pair of emerald optics flickered on-line._

"_Cheetor," Optimus exclaimed and leaned over the young Maximal. "Can you hear me?" The youngster only looked at him absentmindedly, but no word was ushered from his mouth._

"_I don't think he comprehends what you're telling to him right now," Rhinox stated. "We'd better take him to CR-chamber. His injuries may not be life-threatening, but they surely are very painful."_

_The Maximal commander nodded and gently scooped the cat up into his arms, cautious not to cause him any more discomfort than necessary, and they both hurriedly set off toward the Ark._

_The cheetah hissed and his sharp teeth clenched tightly in pain, when his abused servos were forced to move and stretch against his will. _

"_It's okay, Cheetor," Optimus hushed him, stroking the side of his helmet soothingly. The youngling leaned into the touch and his emerald optics shuttered slightly before they fell onto his face._

"_Big Bot...?" he murmured._

"_Yes, it's me," the older mech replied and smiled down at him. Cheetor stared at him for a moment then sighed and buried his head in the crook of his arm._

_Optimus secured his grip on the fragile body and for the first time this night he felt rage building up inside his spark. _

"_Megatron...," he growled in a low voice._


	2. Chapter 2: Fear Not, Little One

**A/N: **Yeah! Thanks for the reviews, guys. You really know how to get people going. And as I promise here's the second chapter of my _Feral Scream_ series. Enjoy ;)

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**CHAPTER 2:** Fear Not, Little One

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"_Not now, Rattrap!" Rhinox irritated bellow brought him back to reality and Primal looked across the command center toward the source of the noise, where Rattrap, against the common sense, was arguing with the larger Maximal._

"_C'mon. I have th' right to know," the rat insisted._

"_I said later," the scientist barked, looming threateningly over the much smaller mech, who cowered under the weight of his glare and was wise enough not to talk back this time. Rhinox grunted his approval and turned toward Optimus. "Let's go," he said and disappeared in the side corridor with the Maximal leader close in tow._

_Once they reached the med bay, Rhinox quickly got down to calibrating one of the CR-chambers standing in a row at the wall. After a while of fiddling with it, the green bulb lit on and the hatch opened. _

"_Put him there," the scientist advised, stepping aside._

_Optimus nodded and knelt in front of the machine, Cheetor secure in his arm. He pulled the cat out of his lap and moved on to put him in the CR-chamber... he wasn't meant to succeed, however._

_All of sudden Cheetor's optics flashed on-line and the cheetah gave out a fluid-chilling scream. His body jerked out of Primal's grasp and the youngster would have surely hit the floor if it weren't for the Maximal commander's reflex. _

"_Cheetor!" he shouted to the panic-stricken mech, trying to calm him down, but it was in vain. All his efforts to restrain the possessed bot without hurting him were fruitless._

"_I'll get a sedative!" Rhinox called from the other side of the chamber._

"_Just... hurry... up!" Primal replied, trying to immobilize Cheetor's arms, what wasn't any easy thing with the youngster fighting back as if his life depended on it._

_Finally, he managed to hold the offending limbs down, but it didn't stop the smaller Maximal from turning his head around and biting on his upper arm. Hard._

"_Argh," Optimus gritted his teeth, when a row of needle like sharp blades dug into his sensory net. _

_Slowly, the gorilla lifted his head to meet an equally shocked look painted on his subordinate face-plates. "That's nothing," he said, his voice strained from the stabbing pain in the spot, where Cheetor's jaws were still clenched on._

"_Primus, he's delirious," Rhinox whispered, ignoring the last comment, and knelt next to Optimus. He reached with his hand with intention to stroke the battered helmet from under where a pair of emerald optics was piercing him with a feral stare._

_A low growl was emitted from Cheetor's vocalizer and the scientist withdraw his hand, stunned. When it appeared again in the cat's vision, it had a syringe tucked neatly in its palm. The youngster whimpered mournfully and closed his optic-leads. Two drops of silver liquid trickled down his cheeks, yet his grip on Optimus' arm didn't lessen._

"_It's okay, Cheetor. You're safe now," the older Maximal soothed him and used the opportunity to stroke his head. He felt the body relax a little under his touch and nodded to Rhinox to proceed with the sedative._

_The scientist did as he was told. The metal needle dug into a main fluid line in the cheetah's neck and the chemical flooded his systems... Firstly, the emerald optics shuttered slightly, then, Cheetor released Optimu's arm only to tuck his head against his broad chest. A sleeping dizziness was starting to slowly overcome him._

_Optimus moved closer to the CR-chamber, but this time he paid attention not to make any sudden moves. A pair of metal cold fingers curled around his hand. Startled, he cast a quick glance at the still-awake form in his arms._

_The youngster looked at him with fearful optics. "No," he mouthed. _

"_Cheetor..."_

"_NO!" the cat screamed and Optimus impulsively tightened his grip to avoid another dangerous situation, but it appeared that the cheetah had no more strength to fight back and restricted himself to chocking sobs. "No, no, no... he'll... please, no... don't let them, please," he begged, oblivious to the horrified expression that crossed his commander's features._

_Primal lifted his head and cast Rhinox a helpless look. _

_The scientist's optics narrowed sadly as he spoke up, "I think he can go along without a CR-chamber for another couple of mega-cycles... His condition isn't that critical, besides, the sedative should've started working by now so the injuries won't be that acute."_

_Optimus gave out a sigh of relief, followed by a grateful smile, "Thanks, Rhinox."_

"_That's okay. Just make sure he'll get enough recharge he needs badly right now. We'll tend to his injuries tomorrow, when he's in more... co-operative mood," the green mech replied. _

"_Will do," the Maximal leader nodded and with the recharging cheetah tucked neatly in his arms, he began walking toward the quarters section. _

_Rhinox turned off the lights and quickly followed after him. "Let's hope the night will pass without any problems," he said once he caught up with Optimus._

"_Yeah, let's hope so," the other mech replied and glanced anxiously at the snoozing form in his arms..._

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In the mean time, Cheetor tossed and turned on his narrow bunk, seized in an invisible embrace of the worst nightmare that, obliviously to him, was about to come true...


End file.
